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BEST WEDDING LENS | NIKON AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm F2.8G ED

A 24-70mm f/2.8 zoom lens can be a versatile choice for wedding photography, particularly if you want to skip bringing multiple prime lenses with you (such as 24mm, 35mm and 50mm). In fact, some wedding photographers prefer to just go with a single zoom lens for wide to telephoto range, as well as a telephoto lens like the 70-200mm to go with another camera body. Having done this myself a number of times, I can see the appeal of using a 24-70mm + 70-200mm lens combo, as it would cover most of the needs. My personal gripe with 24-70mm f/2.8 lenses is that they are bulky, heavy and they are not particularly great when shooting in low-light conditions (an f/1.8 prime is over a stop faster in comparison). They are not great for portraiture either due to their f/2.8 maximum aperture, even at the longest end of the focal length range. However, they are versatile and useful, especially for those who do not want to keep switching lenses.

While Nikon has already updated its 24-70mm with the latest generation 24-70mm f/2.8E VR, my recommendation would be to stick with the older Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G lens for wedding photography. The main reason is center sharpness – while Nikon did make the new 24-70mm f/2.8E VR overall sharper compared to its predecessor, it was done at the expense of losing center sharpness, as I explained in detail in my Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8E VR review. The older Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8G is smaller, lighter and significantly cheaper than its newer brother, which is why I would personally just go with it. The biggest loss would be vibration reduction / image stabilization, which can be very useful when shooting in low-light conditions. However, you will need to decide for yourself whether it is worth paying extra for VR and ending up with a larger and heavier lens in your camera bag.